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Additional Views

Jun 10, 2008

Jun 11, 2008

Mars

c. 1584–87

Giambologna

(Flemish, active Italy, 1529–1608)

Italy, 16th century

Bronze

Overall: 39 x 18.4 cm (15 3/8 x 7 1/4 in.); with base: 41.6 x 18.5 x 21.4 cm (16 3/8 x 7 5/16 x 8 7/16 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1964.421

Location

117A Italian Renaissance

Did you know?

The active, twisting pose indicates that the statue was designed to be viewed in the round.

Description

Although he is lacking the helmet and armor common to Mars in Roman iconography, this figure is identified as the ancient god of war. Mars pauses mid-stride, swinging his sword arm back to strike an enemy in his gaze; this dynamic composition is typical of Giambologna’s models. Collectors prized small bronzes such as this and often kept them in special rooms along with antiquities, coins, shells, and other curiosities. Easy to hold and arrange due to their small size, they were appreciated through touch as well as sight.

Artist biography

Giambologna

Giambologna (1529-1608) was a Flemish sculptor based in Italy. His early training was in Antwerp under the architect-sculptor Jacques du Broeucq. In the 1550s, he studied sculptures of classical antiquity in Rome. He reached the height of his career while working as a court sculptor for the Medici Dukes in Florence, where he settled in 1553. celebrated for his Mannerist marble and bronze statuary, Giambologna was influenced by Michelangelo's works but developed his own style, characterized by a fine sense of movement and refined surface finish.

Provenance

Catalina von Pannwitz [1876-1959, née Roth], Bennebroek, Netherlands

1964

(Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

1964–

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

"Year in Review for 1964." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 51, no. 10 (1964): 236-66. #1, repr. www.jstor.org

Pillsbury, Edmund P. Florence and the Arts; Five Centuries of Patronage. 1971. no. 36, repr.

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 100 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 100 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 116 archive.org

Exhibition history

"The Italian Heritage (Committee to Rescue Italian Art)," New York, Wildenstein and Co., May 17- August 29, 1967, no. 51, repr.

"Sechs Sammler stellen aus," Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 7 April- 11 June, 1961, no. 46

Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965).

The Italian Heritage; an exhibition of works of art lent from American collections for the benefit of the Committee to Rescue Italian Art (CRIA). Wildenstein & Co., New York, NY (organizer) (May 17-August 29, 1967).

Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971).

Renaissance Bronzes from Ohio Collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).

The Age of Bronze. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-October 17, 1982).

Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Mars|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1964.421|author=Giambologna|year=c. 1584–87|access-date=03 October 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Giambologna

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